LA Arboretum transforms into magical moonlit forest for a limited time

The Los Angeles County Arboretum annual Moonlight Forest exhibit has returned to the garden through Jan. 6. The festival includes a large-scale lantern installation covering one mile of the garden. This gentle walk takes about one hour to complete and features art installations, dancers, performers and “bian lian” face changers along the route.

“The Arboretum is proud to showcase the Moonlight Forest and bring these uniquely crafted lanterns to Los Angeles County,” Richard Schulhof, CEO of the L.A. Arboretum, said in a media release. “The botanic garden is a historical gathering place that truly embraces the rich cultural diversity that defines the Southland, and we are excited to share these amazing masterpieces at our facilities. We invite everyone to witness the magical glimmer of these lanterns for themselves.”

Moonlight Forest features hundreds of lanterns created by Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., a production company in Zigong, China. Their lanterns are used at festivals around the world and Moonlight Forest is the company’s largest installation to date.

“Our team has worked meticulously on the production of over 60 lanterns since early summer, and we can’t wait for the public to enjoy our handcrafted creations,” Grace Zhou, a representative of Tianyu, said in a press release. “Seeing our artwork come to life is one of the most rewarding moments of the entire process. We hope everyone who comes to Moonlight Forest is entertained by our lanterns, performances, and crafts!”

Born and raised in New Jersey, Veronica An is a Southern California transplant whose work has been exhibited at galleries across Los Angeles and published internationally. She is a photographer and reporter for The Hub.